Staffordshire-born Kirsty Bertarelli, Britain’s richest woman, is a singer-songwriter whose song Black Coffee – a hit for All Saints in 2000 – is an account of her falling in love with Italian-born pharmaceuticals magnate Ernesto.

He took control of his family’s Geneva-based pharmaceuticals and biotech company, Serona, in 1996. When it was sold 10 years later to Merck of Germany, for $13.3 billion, the family benefited to the tune of $8.6billion.

In second place in the region is Lord Bamford and family with their £3.1 billion fortune based on the runaway success of its JCB digger business. Based in Rocester, Staffordshire, it is the world’s third-largest supplier of earth-moving equipment and made pre-tax profits of £313m in 2013.

The third richest is Betfair365 founders Denise Coates, her brother, John, and 77 year-old father, Peter, the chairman of Stoke City Football Club. Denise launched Bet365.com in 2001 and last year the business recorded profits of £23.8m, almost doubling the family's worth in just one year.

John Caudwell, who made the bulk of his £1,450 million fortune from mobile telecoms, and Tony Murray, at 95 the oldest person in this year’s list, make the top five. Murray’s fortune derives in part from the Andrew Sykes heating and air conditioning equipment hire business, which is based in Wolverhampton.

Just outside the top five, but seeing a £90m growth in his wealth in the past year is Steve Morgan, the owner of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club. Morgan, 62, founded the Flintshire-based housebuilder Redrow.

The 2015 Sunday Times Rich List - a definitive guide to wealth in Britain and Ireland - is published on Sunday, April 26.